Firefighters escort 6-year-old girl to last round of chemo

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Moraga-Orinda Fire Department is battling more than just fires; members are also helping a 6-year-old girl fight cancer.

PHOTOS: 6-year-old gets firefighter escort to last round of chemo


Finley is a friendly and fierce 6-year-old whose crew includes the Moraga-Orinda Fire District.

"She was quick to show off her scars and tell us what she had been going through, but that was the least of her concerns, she had a big personality," said firefighter Lucas Lambert.

Finley's father, Aaron Brown, adds, "It's like jumping off a cliff and you have no idea what's below you."

According to Brown, the cancer diagnosis came last June.


"At Children's they said, 'We're admitting you and we're taking out a tumor from her kidney tomorrow,'" he said.

Through it all, family and friends were there to lend support. And that's not all -- Finley's firefighters were also there to drive her to her last chemotherapy session.

"I don't really know what I expected," said Finley's father. "But I never expected this. It's been amazing."

At UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland there was a welcome party on Monday. And also, the trusted hands of her surgeon Dr. Wolfgang Stehr.

"Being a part of this team and becoming a part of this family during this treatment is something really special and it's what makes my job something really special," he said.


Lambert adds, "She reminds us what is really important and that is helping people."

"I think I have my courage," said Finley.

This is a roundtrip service. Firefighter Lucas and his crew will stay with Finley through her entire chemo treatment then take her home Monday afternoon.